Tag Archives: I Want You

The guilty undertaker sighs
The lonesome organ grinder cries
The silver saxophones say I should refuse you
The cracked bells and washed-out horns
Blow into my face with scorn
But it’s not that way
I wasn’t born to lose you

The guilty undertaker sighs
The lonesome organ grinder cries
The silver saxophones say I should refuse you
The cracked bells and washed-out horns
Blow into my face with scorn
But it’s not that way
I wasn’t born to lose you

The guilty undertaker sighs
The lonesome organ grinder cries
The silver saxophones say I should refuse you
The cracked bells and washed-out horns
Blow into my face with scorn
But it’s not that way
I wasn’t born to lose you
I want you, I want you
I want you so bad
Honey, I want you

The guilty undertaker sighs
The lonesome organ grinder cries
The silver saxophones say I should refuse you
The cracked bells and washed-out horns
Blow into my face with scorn
But it’s not that way
I wasn’t born to lose you

I want you, I want you
I want you so bad
Honey, I want you

Some facts:

Dylan has played “I Want You” 214 times live

First time was in San Antonio, TX – May 11, 1976

Last performance: Vancouver, BC – Jul 20, 2005

Peak year: 1978 with 56 renditions

Here are five great live versions:

Westfalenhalle 1Dortmund, West Germany15 September 1987

Bob Dylan (vocal, guitar & harmonica)

Tom Petty (guitar)

Mike Campbell (guitar)

Benmont Tench (keyboards)

Howie Epstein (bass)

Stan Lynch (drums)

On this Dortmund tape you can hear an intro to “I Want You” that gathers such momentum as piano is joined by bass and then drum and then harmonica, that its energy and personality become unstoppable and can be felt throughout the song, in the spirit of the vocal and the way singer and musicians work together.
~Paul Williams (Bob Dylan: Performance Artist 1986-1990 And Beyond (Mind Out Of Time)

Dylan is the surprise guest, billed as “the man from the Fairmont,” at a benefit concert for SNACK (Students Need Athletic
and Cultural Kicks). Along with three members of the Band, Neil Young, Tim Drummond, and Ben Keith, Dylan stays
on stage for half an hour. He contributes vocals on “Are You Ready for the Country,” “I Want You,” (the slightly rewritten) “Knockin’ on Dragon’s Door,” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Unfortunately his microphone is turned way down in the mix, and he is barely audible on tapes of the show, even though the whole concert is broadcast on a local radio station. Dylan also provides backing on piano/guitar for the five other songs: “Ain’t That a Lot of Love,” “Lookin’ for a Love,” “Loving You Is Sweeter than Ever,” “The Weight,” and “Helpless.” Sara Dylan accompanies him to the show. After the concert, Dylan (and presumably Sara) dine at the home of Francis Ford Coppola, along with Bill Graham and Marlon Brando.
~Clinton Heylin (Bob Dylan: A Life in Stolen Moments Day by Day 1941-1995)